Hard Rain Brings Sewage Leaks at Wastewater Plant, 2 Other Sites

In Baltimore City, buckets of rain bring buckets of sewage. More than three inches of rain brought three sewer overflows over the weekend.

According to the DPW, more than 200,000 gallons of sewage spilled in all.

While it was raining hard on Saturday, the Patapsco Wastewater Treatment Plant overflowed, sending 100,000-150,000 gallons of sewage. Additional overflows on Saturday happened in the 2200 block of Falls Rd. (68,000 gallons) and the 1700 block of E. Chase St. (51,000 gallons). Each overflow was halted Saturday night, the city said.

While it’s gross, the muck is nothing unusual. The overflows are caused by cracks in the city’s aging pipes, which cause stormwater to seep into the sewer system. In turn, the sewage overflows dump bacteria and other nutrients into the city’s waterways that even Mr. Trash Wheel can’t collect.

The city is under federal order to fix the pipes to the tune of $1 billion.